This is my first new recipe of the new semester and I could not have been more excited to finally carve time out of my busy schedule to bake! I spent a lot of time thinking about which country I wanted to visit next because I dream of traveling EVERYWHERE. I actually have a massive spreadsheet listing different countries I want to visit as inspiration of where to “travel” next. When I finally realized that I could not choose, I turned to one of my friends to make the decision for me. I called my friend Jack who decided on where destination #5 would be: Germany.
When Googling German recipes, the recipe that came up the most was black forest cake. I decided to read up on the recipe, where I learned that the colors of the cake most likely resemble the colors of the regional folk dresses. Since the recipe’s first written appearance in 1934, it has become a well-known German dessert.
I have made dozens of cakes, so I decided this would be the perfect recipe for me to attempt! I also have eaten this dessert numerous times (it is served as a dessert option at the retirement home I work at) so I knew what it was expected to taste like.
REVIEW
In this section, I review the difficulty, as well as the taste of the dessert. I want to preface this section by saying that this dessert did not go as planned. I followed the recipe, but unfortunately, it was not my day. When I took the cakes out of the oven, I let them cool. However, when I finally decided to take them out of the pan, they stuck to the bottom!!! Trusty PAM spray failed me!!!!! I wanted to see if I could salvage the dessert so I let both cake layers cool and attempted to frost them. Once the cake was safely moved to the refrigerator, I thought all was well. I checked on the cake a half hour later, only to find the “leaning tower of pisa”, as my mom labeled the dessert, had finally fallen:
Difficulty: Beginner– Although I had an unfortunate mishap, the recipe was very easy to follow. It was a simple cake recipe, as well as a two-ingredient whipped cream recipe that was very easy to make.
Taste: 7/10– I thought that the dessert tasted okay overall. My sister liked it, but her only comment was that the whipped cream needed to be a little sweeter. My advice to anyone wanting to make this recipe would be to add at least a whole cup of confectioner’s sugar, instead of the suggested 3/4 cup.
Overall, it was a fun dessert. If the cakes would not have broken, I think it would have been the best dessert I have made thus far. If you have nay countries you think I should explore next, please comment below! As the Germans say, “Auf weidersehen“!
Ooh Germany was a great country to “travel” to! Although I am not a big fan of cherries or cherry flavored things, the mix of chocolate and cherry in a cake sounded so yummy! Other than the leaning tower of pisa, the cake looked so good. I can’t wait to see where you travel to next!
That looks so good! Even though I don’t like cherries on baked goods, I know I’d love it. I wonder why the cake broke up. Did you wait until the cakes were completely cooled to take them out of the pans? I know that’s something I always mess up (the suspense kills me). Maybe try flouring the pans before baking. My mom does this and it seriously helps prevent the cakes from sticking (even more than PAM). You should look at doing France next time for baking! It’s known for its pastries!
Separately, chocolate and cherry are two of my most favorite flavors ever. So I could totally see myself liking the flavor that this cake had to offer. And I totally relate to your mishap actually! Over the summer, I tried to make a gluten & dairy free sunshine cake with my Grandma for my birthday. It had similar whipped cream icing, but as we transported it for a only a 10 minute car ride, the August heat had melted half of it and the cake looked pretty rough (haha). Also, for one of your next countries, you should maybe do Japan! My dad was there before the pandemic, and he said that they have unique dessert dishes!